Says 33% women reservation is ‘contrary to Naga culture and alien to us’
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 20 (MExN): The Kohima Village Council (KVC) today reaffirmed its stand opposing the 33% reservation for women in Urban Local Bodies.
A press note from the KVC Chairman and the Press & Publicity Secretary stated that despite “intense opposition” from several quarters against implementation on the policy of 33% women reservation in the Urban Local Bodies and municipal councils, the cabinet without any discussion with the concerned Naga societies have passed this bill in August 2016. “It has come to light that the State Government is all set to conduct local urban body elections in the near future following this controversial bill,” it added.
The KVC reiterated its earlier resolution which was published in the media on March 1, 2012 that “33% women reservation to the urban local bodies is contrary to the Naga culture and alien to us.”
Reaffirming its earlier resolution, the KVC conveyed its “total disagreement to this reservation policy, which, our State Government is trying to adopt and implement in the formation of urban local bodies.”
The KVC however stated that it is of “utmost importance to urgently form the urban local bodies to fill up the voids, as our urban areas are at immense loss without them.” Men/women are equally welcome to participate in this process and hold the Municipal Council elections at the earliest without any reservation policy, it added.
The KVC viewed that “there is no discrimination between men folk and womenfolk and that our Naga women in general were never underprivileged in any form in the society.” “Men folk are never more privileged than the womenfolk. Men and women alike get their due importance in different segments and their status, identities, importance differ in different arena,” it said. “Whereas, in comparison with India, there is a lot of discrimination between men and women. Womenfolk are barred and isolated in many ways in the society, like family administration, social activities, educational sphere, society development planning, religious rites, rural or urban local bodies’ elections, community development programmes, marital programme planning etc. and moreover there is menace of caste system,” the KVC added. It further opined that “a leader must carry the mandate of the public, who should after being elected/nominated, discharge his/her duty judiciously in accordance to the law and will of the people.”
Voicing out against 33% (or any percentage) women reservation to urban local bodies, the KVC cautioned that “if an urban local body is established with 33% reservation principle, without the support and mandate of the people, and if by reservation a council is formed without public mandate and confidence of the general public, it is going to be a powerless council.”
Therefore, the KVC asked the State Government “not to further encourage or enhance such a fatal exercise, but reconsider this issue in the interest of KVC and Naga’s as a whole; which, if left unattended may become explosive.”
